Abstract: In general, this disclosure is directed to techniques for toggling communication connections based on signal strengths. A first computing device receives an indication of a user input to send data packets to a second computing device. Responsive to receiving the indication, the first computing device determines a signal strength of a first wireless communication connection, comprising one of a cellular network connection or a wireless local area network connection, to the second computing device, and determines whether the signal strength satisfies a threshold signal strength level.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for persisting state of a streaming application are disclosed. In one aspect, a method includes the actions of receiving data indicating interaction with third-party content that is displayed with first-party content at a client device. The interaction with the third-party content initiates an application request for a streaming version of an application (“streaming application”). The actions further include generating a representation of the streaming application in response to the interaction with the third-party content at the client device. The actions further include receiving data indicating a user interaction with the representation of the streaming application at the client device. The actions further include generating and storing data indicating a first state of the streaming application at a first time based on the user interaction with the representation of the streaming application.

Abstract: Computer-implemented methods and systems for sourcing hours of operation for a business or other location entity can include receiving a request to update hours of operation. A number of mobile devices present at the location entity during one or more periods of time can be determined based at least in part on a collection of time-stamped mobile device location data that identifies mobile devices associated with discrete users present at the location entity. The number of mobile devices and initial operating hours for the location entity can be provided as input to a statistical model (e.g., neural network, support-vector machine (SVM) or logistic regression model). An output of the model can indicate a likelihood that operating hours for the location entity have changed relative to the initial operating hours. The operating hours for the location entity can then be updated based at least in part on the model output.

Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting improper presentation of content items by applications executing on client devices. A method can include receiving a content package including a first content item, a second content item and an interaction confirmation script, the interaction confirmation script configured to execute within an application and cause the application to detect, responsive to the first content item presented, a first interaction event with the first content item; present, upon detecting the first interaction event on the first content item, the second content item; detect a second interaction event with the second content item; transmit, upon detecting the second interaction event, a confirmation of the first interaction event; and transmit a request to access an information resource linked to the second content item. The method can further include presenting the information resource responsive to the second interaction event on the second content item.

Abstract: A client system presents, within an execution environment of an application, a third-party media stream distinct from the application, received from a remote host server via a network. The client system detects interaction events during presentation of the third-party media stream, and transmits descriptions of the detected interaction events to the remote host server. The application may be pre-cued prior to presentation, e.g., to minimize start-up time. In some implementations, a side-band message channel is established to facilitate communication between the client system and the remote host server.

Abstract: A method of automatic content verification may include requesting, from a server by an application executed by a client device, an item of content for display to a user of the client device, the request comprising environmental information related to an environment in which the item of content is to be rendered on the client device. A network interface of the client device may receive, from the server, the requested item of content. A renderer of the client device integrated with the application may render the received item of content. A capture module of the client device integrated with the application may capture an image of the rendered item of content. The network interface of the client device may transmit, to the server, the captured image, the server comparing the captured image to a predetermined image to identify any rendering distortion.

Abstract: This document describes a content caching system for pre-loading digital components, the system including a communication interface configured to communicate with a remote device over a wireless network, a local content cache; and an evaluation system comprising one or more processors. The one or more operations include pre-loading a digital component for rendering in a browser at a time that is subsequent to a time of the pre-loading, registering a scheme of a network reference for the cached digital component, with the scheme comprising a specified portion of the network reference for the cached digital component; retrieving, from the local content cache, the pre-loaded digital component associated with the digital component tag comprising the network reference; and rendering, from the local content cache, the pre-loaded digital component in a graphical user interface rather than requesting the digital component from the remote device.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for reducing latency in presenting content. In one aspect, a system includes (i) a native application that presents an interactive item and (ii) a latency reduction engine. The latency reduction engine detects interaction with the interactive item that links to a first electronic resource that is (i) different from the native application and (ii) provided by a first network domain and in response to the detecting, reduces latency in presenting the first electronic resource, including executing a first processing thread and a second processing thread in parallel. The first processing thread requests a second electronic resource from a second network domain and loads the second electronic resource and, in response to the loading, stores a browser cookie for the second network domain. The second processing thread requests the first electronic resource and presents the first electronic resource.

Abstract: An implementation involves a push notification system receiving, from an application server, a request to serve to a client device a push notification, the request including push notification identity information. The implementation further involves the push notification system transmitting to the client device in response to the received request, a push notification. The implementation further comprises the push notification system receiving, from an operating system of the client device, information related to whether and how a user of the client device interacted with the push notification. The implementation further involves determining, by the push notification system, based at least in part on the information related to whether and how the user interacted with the push notification, whether to transmit a request to the message creation system to create and serve a targeted message.

Abstract: This document describes a content caching system for pre-loading digital components, the system including a communication interface configured to communicate with a remote device over a wireless network, a local content cache; and an evaluation system comprising one or more processors. The one or more operations include pre-loading a digital component for rendering in a browser at a time that is subsequent to a time of the pre-loading, registering a scheme of a network reference for the cached digital component, with the scheme comprising a specified portion of the network reference for the cached digital component; retrieving, from the local content cache, the pre-loaded digital component associated with the digital component tag comprising the network reference; and rendering, from the local content cache, the pre-loaded digital component in a graphical user interface rather than requesting the digital component from the remote device.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer readable medium for reducing redirects of a client device are disclosed. A method for directing a user to a destination page includes detecting, by one or more servers, interaction with a digital component at a client device, identifying, by the one or more servers, a different server to which the one or more servers are to redirect the client device and a destination page being requested through the interaction with the digital component, redirecting, by the one or more servers, the client device to a destination page without redirecting the client device to the different server, and pinging, by the one or more servers, the different server with a request that includes interaction data corresponding to the interaction with the digital component.

Abstract: In general, this disclosure is directed to techniques for toggling communication connections based on signal strengths. A first computing device receives an indication of a user input to send data packets to a second computing device. Responsive to receiving the indication, the first computing device determines a signal strength of a first wireless communication connection, comprising one of a cellular network connection or a wireless local area network connection, to the second computing device, and determines whether the signal strength satisfies a threshold signal strength level.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a technique for reducing latency in converting a term in a message to a hyperlink to a content item. The system can receive, from a messaging application executed by a first computing device, a first portion of a message and select a first content item based on the first portion of the message. The system can receive a second portion of the message and select a second content item based on the second portion and the first portion. The system can replace the first content item with the second content item. The system can provide instructions to the messaging application executed by the first computing device to convert a term of the message to a hyperlink for the second content item prior to transmission of the message from the first computing device to the second computing device via the messaging application.

Abstract: A method includes receiving, at a user device, a plurality of signals pushed to the user device from a plurality of store devices located in a plurality of physical storefronts. Each signal includes a store identifier identifying the associated physical storefront. Store visit data is generated for each signal, the store visit data including the store identifiers and time data representing times associated with visits to the physical storefronts. Store visit data is aggregated for the plurality of signals pushed to the user device. Aggregated store visit data is transmitted to an analytics server configured to combine aggregated store visit data from a plurality of user devices and generate analytics data from the combined aggregated store visit data. At least a portion of the time data is removed from the aggregated store visit data before transmission to the analytics server.

Abstract: Implementations disclose a mesh network of nearby mobile devices as a combined speaker system for audio. A method includes receiving a prompt to join a speaker mesh network as a master computing device of the speaker mesh network, the speaker mesh network comprising one or more other computing devices detected within a geographic vicinity of a computing device, generating, by the computing device acting as the master computing device, playback synchronization instructions for the one or more other computing devices, the playback synchronization instructions to cause playback of a media item to be synchronized at a playback timestamp relative to a clock time, and transmitting the generated playback synchronization instructions to the one or more other computing devices.

Abstract: A client system presents, within an execution environment of an application, a third-party media stream distinct from the application, received from a remote host server via a network. The client system detects interaction events during presentation of the third-party media stream, and transmits descriptions of the detected interaction events to the remote host server. The application may be pre-cued prior to presentation, e.g., to minimize start-up time. In some implementations, a side-band message channel is established to facilitate communication between the client system and the remote host server.

Abstract: A client system presents, within an execution environment of an application, a third-party media stream distinct from the application, received from a remote host server via a network. The client system detects interaction events during presentation of the third-party media stream, and transmits descriptions of the detected interaction events to the remote host server. The client system updates a data set with data corresponding to detected interaction events and generates, by application of an interaction heuristic to the data set, an interaction score indicative of a likelihood of engagement with the third-party media stream. The interaction score is provided to the application, which may then provide a reward based on the likelihood of engagement. In some implementations, the interaction heuristic is based on a number or frequency of interaction events, e.g., button utilization, screen taps, device motion, or screen changes detected during presentation of the received third-party media stream.

Abstract: In general, this disclosure is directed to techniques for toggling communication connections based on signal strengths. A first computing device receives an indication of a user input to send data packets to a second computing device. Responsive to receiving the indication, the first computing device determines a signal strength of a first wireless communication connection, comprising one of a cellular network connection or a wireless local area network connection, to the second computing device, and determines whether the signal strength satisfies a threshold signal strength level.

Abstract: Implementations disclose a mesh network of nearby mobile devices as a combined speaker system for audio. A method includes receiving a prompt to join a speaker mesh network as a master computing device of the speaker mesh network, the speaker mesh network comprising one or more other computing devices detected within a geographic vicinity of a computing device, generating, by the computing device acting as the master computing device, playback synchronization instructions for the one or more other computing devices, the playback synchronization instructions to cause playback of a media item to be synchronized at a playback timestamp relative to a clock time, and transmitting the generated playback synchronization instructions to the one or more other computing devices.

Abstract: This document describes a content caching system for pre-loading digital components, the system including a communication interface configured to communicate with a remote device over a wireless network, a local content cache; and an evaluation system comprising one or more processors. The one or more operations include pre-loading a digital component for rendering in a browser at a time that is subsequent to a time of the pre-loading, registering a scheme of a network reference for the cached digital component, with the scheme comprising a specified portion of the network reference for the cached digital component; retrieving, from the local content cache, the pre-loaded digital component associated with the digital component tag comprising the network reference; and rendering, from the local content cache, the pre-loaded digital component in a graphical user interface rather than requesting the digital component from the remote device.